Midlands – UK Regional Labour Market Trends, November 2025
Midlands Job Market 2025: Divided Growth Across Sectors
Key findings include:
- The East Midlands is forecast to grow 11.4% year on year, while the West remains flat but dominant.
- Retail, Consumer Goods, and Engineering are the region’s fastest-growing sectors.
- Sales and Procurement roles lead the way in professional demand, both rising over 30%.
- Employers show contrasting strategies, with strong hiring at Boots, ALTEN and Experian, and pullbacks in real estate-led firms.
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East Midlands Takes the Lead in Regional Growth
Hiring across the Midlands in 2025 reflects a two-speed market. The West Midlands holds steady, showing no major year-on-year changes, but remains the largest contributor to regional hiring. The East Midlands, in contrast, is expected to grow by 11.4%, closing the gap in vacancy share between the two sub-regions. Activity in the East picked up sharply in the second half of the year, with a 22.7% monthly rise in September followed by continued growth into October. This performance signals renewed business confidence in the East, particularly in industrial, operational and commercial sectors.
Engineering, Retail and Construction Drive Sector Activity
Real Estate and Construction remains the largest sector by volume, but it is Retail and Consumer Goods that leads in growth, with a projected 31.9% rise in vacancies. Engineering is also expanding, with a year-on-year increase of nearly 19%, reflecting sustained demand in manufacturing, infrastructure and supply-chain-linked industries. Construction is stable across both regions, while Technology sees a modest contraction of 4.5%. Insurance continues to retreat, with hiring down by 12.7%. These shifts point to a market favouring delivery, production and consumer activity, with less emphasis on back-office and financial services.
Strong Gains in Sales, Procurement and Engineering Roles
Professional demand across the Midlands is led by outward-facing and technical roles. Sales vacancies are projected to grow by 33.9%, while Procurement and Supply Chain follow closely at 33.6%, both showing renewed employer focus on commercial recovery and operational resilience. Engineering roles continue to climb steadily, particularly in the East, while IT remains dominant despite a slight dip in the West. Real Estate and HR roles are both down year on year, highlighting ongoing caution in internal functions. Overall, demand is shifting towards professions directly linked to growth, revenue and service delivery.
Top Employers Show Polarised Hiring Strategies
Company-level data reveals a split between high-growth hiring and strategic restraint. Boots is set to post an 80% increase in professional recruitment, while ALTEN is expected to more than double its headcount in the region. Experian is also expanding significantly, with hiring forecast to grow by 35%. Meanwhile, Spicerhaart Group is increasing roles in Real Estate, even as others in the sector pull back. AECOM, for example, is expected to cut hiring by more than 20%. These differences underscore how sector positioning and business strategy are now major drivers of recruitment behaviour across the Midlands.
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